On Thursday, December 12, 2019, the MoFo Women’s Strategy Committee welcomed author and Deputy General Counsel of The New York Times David E. McCraw to the firm’s New York office. The event was live-streamed to MoFo’s U.S. offices as part of the firm’s ongoing Diversity + Inclusion Spectrum Speaker Series, which invites attorneys to speak about various topics that affect the legal industry.
David, who has worked at the Times since 2002, has been providing legal counsel to reporters on some of the most important and Pulitzer Prize-winning stories going as far back as the George W. Bush administration. During the discussion, David spoke about his newly published book, Truth in Our Times: Inside the Fight for Press Freedom in the Age of Alternative Facts, which recounts his experiences and role in leading the paper’s fight for freedom of information. David also shared his journey from lawyer to bestselling author.
MoFo partner Carrie H. Cohen, who introduced David, guided the open-ended conversation and invited questions from the audience. David addressed topics such as the press’s battle with reports of “fake news,” attacks on the press and reporters, and the public’s growing mistrust of the press. He noted that journalists need to do a better job of educating the public about their dedication to the First Amendment, the laws that protect freedom of the press, and why they are so vitally important. He remarked that “a disbelieved press is not that different from a shackled press” and added that, “if people stop trusting the press, it can’t do what it’s supposed to do – inform the public.”
Learn more about David McCraw and his book here.